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ZANESVILLE -- Utica Shale drilling might not be booming in Muskingum County yet, but some local businesses owners aren't going to sit back and wait.

Instead, they're banding together to form the Muskingum Oil and Gas Coalition, a marketing group launched in April by the Zanesville-Muskingum County Chamber of Commerce.

The coalition is for business-to-business marketing. In other words, it's for local businesses hoping to contract with oil and gas companies, not for businesses looking to connect with individual customers, said Tom Poorman, chamber president.

Among others, the coalition already includes an equipment rental company, construction companies, a uniform company, banks, attorneys and a restaurant.

"Any business that has interest in entering the oil and gas supply chain, this coalition could appeal to you," Poorman said. "There's many different stops along the way, from exploration to delivering oil and gas to the nation."

So far, 28 people are coalition members, but the goal is to eventually get 130, Poorman said.

At $300 in dues per business, that would give the coalition $39,000 to put toward marketing.

"We're slowly ramping it up as the money allows," Poorman said. "We want to make Muskingum County visible to that industry. ... I think we have a solid marketing plan, and we're going to learn about new opportunities as we go."

To Pat Bringardner-Lang, it's important for local businesses to present a united front to oil and gas companies. As a coalition, they'll have a larger voice -- and a bigger budget -- than as individuals, she said.

Bringardner-Lang, who owns Lang Employee Assistance Program with her husband, Don, joined the coalition hoping to offer oil and gas companies employee programs centered around drug-abuse prevention and work-place safety.

LEAP hasn't seen any business yet from Utica Shale, but Bringardner-Lang is confident she will once drilling picks up in Muskingum County.

Brent Kemble, of Kemshirer Properties, was on the fence about joining the coalition until he attended the recent introductory meeting. Now, it's just a matter of filling out the paperwork, he said.

Kemshirer rents apartments, and during the past few months, Kemble has been getting one or two calls a week from companies inquiring about space for their workers, he said. He hasn't made any rental agreements yet because drilling activity is a little too far away, but he plans to be ready once companies move into Muskingum County, he said.